It’s payback time, PCB tells Yousuf (Lead)

Karachi, Nov 7 (IANS) The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has asked Mohammad Yousuf to pay Rs 10 million that it (PCB) spent on the batsman’s legal battle with the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL).Two days after Yousuf signed up to play with the ICL, the PCB has sent him a notice to return the money or face a lawsuit in a civil court.

Shan Gul, PCB legal advisor, told reporters Friday evening that the board wants to get back the money it spent on Yousuf’s contract negotiations with the ICL and the Indian Premier League (IPL).

“Yousuf fought his legal battle with a full-fledged support of the PCB, which had to bear all the costs and now the board wants the player to return the money because he has defected to the ICL in clear violation of his central contract (with the PCB),” said Gul.

The PCB will be sending a legal notice to Mohammad Yousuf Saturday, Gul said and added that the player has violated seven clauses in his central contract by signing up for the ICL.

“We have prepared a case against Yousuf as he is guilty of violating his central contract with the PCB,” he said.

Yousuf, 34, surprised the Pakistan cricket community when he left for India to play in the ICL just hours after being named in the 15-member Pakistan squad for a three-match One-day International series against the West Indies, which begins in Abu Dhabi Nov 12.

The batsman was among the elite national players who have signed central contracts with the PCB and gets a handsome annual salary in return.

Yousuf has alleged that he was forced to join the ICL because of a disrespectful attitude of Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik towards him and the “shabby treatment” meted out by the national selectors and the PCB.

“There was no other way for me than to join the ICL because of the disrespectful attitude of captain Shoaib Malik and the way I was treated by the selectors and the PCB,” Yousuf told leading Pakistani television channel Geo News in an interview Friday.

“For the last 18 months I have been under great mental stress,” he said.

Yousuf’s criticism of the PCB has not gone down well with the Board top brass and Gul said the PCB is now considering the option of filing a defamation case against the players.

“Yousuf has tried to project a bad image of the PCB and the Board is seriously considering the option of suing him over the comments,” said the legal advisor.